Roy Williams' Deal Offers No Impact for Dallas Cowboys

Stuck with injuries and suspensions for at least five players, the Dallas Cowboys made a last-ditch effort to re-energize their season by trading for Detroit Lions’ wide receiver Roy Williams.

Because of Pacman Jones’ suspension, the Cowboys get to keep their 2009 sixth-round pick and instead get a fifth-rounder from Tennessee—which is significant because the Cowboys traded their 2009 sixth-rounder, along with a first and third-rounder in ‘09 for Williams and the Lions’ seventh-rounder.

As of this posting, no long-term deal has been completed by the Cowboys and Williams, who is a free agent at the end of the year.

(A curious outcome to this deal is what will happen to the nameplates of both Roy Williamses on the team, but that’s another story for another day.)

Crammed in the so-called NFC Beast, the Cowboys had no chance to make the playoffs with Tony Romo, Felix Jones, Matt McBriar, Sam Hurd, and Pacman Jones all out for long periods of time. At 4-2 and only .500 in both their division and their conference, the ‘Boys are currently tied with the Carolina Panthers for the final wild-card spot in the NFC.

The Pacman Jones suspension hurts an already-damaged secondary even more. Already without Roy Williams (the defensive back, that is) and Terence Newman, the Cowboys now have to start rookie Mike Jenkins alongside Anthony Henry; that could be very damaging to both the Cowboys’ secondary (starting a rookie at cornerback, arguably the hardest position for a rookie to start, along with quarterback) and Jenkins’ future (if he gets off to a bad start, he will hinder his learning process to the game and position).

Alan Ball and Orlando Scandrick will share duty at the third cornerback slot, and opposing offenses would be crazy not to take advantage of the unskilled platoon-ers. Ball has played just one year in the NFL, drafted in the seventh round last year; and Scandrick is a rookie, drafted in the fifth round by the Cowboys.

Dallas would be lucky to win one of their next three games (at St. Louis, home against Tampa Bay, and at the Giants), all of which Romo will miss. If Roy Williams, the wide receiver, can’t perform with Jon Kitna and Dan Orlovsky—Williams has averaged 46 yards per game—what makes Jerry Jones think he can perform with Brad Johnson at quarterback?

After the Cowboys’ bye week, they come out and play at Washington, a game in which Romo will be rusty and won’t have a connection with Williams at WR. The ‘Boys finally get two winnable games the next two weeks at home, against San Francisco and Seattle, both of whom could nevertheless upset Dallas, and especially if the Seahawks have Matt Hasselbeck and Deion Branch healthy.

After the two NFC West games, the Cowboys play a tough four-game schedule to end the year: at Pittsburgh, at home against the Giants and Ravens, and at Philadelphia.

There’s a chance, albeit small, that the Cowboys win only one or two games the rest of the year. If I had to predict the Cowboys’ record from now until the end of the year, I only see three games in which they even have a small chance of winning: this week against the Rams, and the two aforementioned games against the 49ers and Seahawks.

All is most certainly lost.